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Mourning dove

Zenaida macroura

Photo by KarenL
Published on Project Noah
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35.8987, -86.9624

Field Notes

Notes:

Basking in the sunshine!

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (8)

Thanks Lisa! I used to get woken up most mornings in the UK by the collared doves - they make such a racket with their wings! We had a pair that used to nest every year in the little cup below the coach lamp on my neighbors car port. I used to watch them as they spent days flying up with twigs & drop them through the narrow bars that connected the cup to the lamp & watch them fall to the ground. Finally they would just lay their eggs directly in the 3" cup & somehow they always succeeded in raising their brood!
Karen...yes, I can see now that it is just a shadow. But keep a lookout fro the Eurasians. The song tone is similar, just a different cadence. Welcome to Tennessee!
I can see what you mean but I think that is just a shadow Lisa. These are definitely not collared doves - we used to get lots of that species in England & they are quite a bit larger than the mourning doves & they also don't have the spots on their wings like these do.
Sorry, mourning doves are native. These appear to be Eurasian collared doves which are not. Mourning doves do no have a black collar around the back of the neck. The call is slightly different too.
Right. The old phrase "Dumb as a dove" I believe is related to that as well as their habit of "nesting" in the most insecure places (like a bare ledge or window sill).
auntnance, I've not seen that behavior but I will keep a lookout for it. They don't seem to be the smartest of birds - I've seen them basking while there was a gray fox rooting around just a few yards from them!
Cool capture, Karen. Have you ever seen them in a light rain? They will raise their wings straight up and lean to one side to let the water hit the underside of the wing. @ Lisa, check out the distribution map in the reference link Karen's provided. Mourning doves are far from exoctic in the US.
I hadn't realized they were an introduced species - I had assumed they were native to the area. We see quite a few here & they also seem to be a favorite prey for the red-tailed & coopers hawks - I guess they are easy pickings because they feed on the ground.

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